Hard Times
by CommandoClowns
Summary: Order 66 ruined many lives, now they have to try and heal. Alternating POVs between Jedi Knight Niri Sworne and Clone Trooper Book as they deal with the aftermath and try to make new lives.
1. Chapter 1

Niri opened her eyes, and saw nothing but darkness.

—

They said she was near death when they found her. A body sprawled across the ground. A mess of bloody limbs, not all of them connected to her. They said her eyes were ruined by what they assumed was a bomb, and that half her leg missing. At first she wondered where they went, not realizing what they meant.

They said she was in shock.

She didn't know who they were. She didn't care. If they wanted her dead, they could have left her where they found her. Could have killed her when she tried to kill them the first time she woke.

One of them said they were called Tammi. A girl she supposed from the voice, but how could you truly know. She couldn't sense anything. It was all gone. The force left with her eyes. Just another thing the new empire took from her.

Niri had given everything to the Republic, all of herself, any happiness she could have found, her friends lives, the lives of those she couldn't save. She had been willing to die. And she had been repaid with nothing.

As a Jedi you own nothing, want for nothing, ask for nothing. But she felt robbed anyway. Felt like she should have been given something for all that she gave. Niri had never expected a reward, never asked for one, but she felt like the kind thing to do was to repay even those who did not ask.

Tammi and Doctor Allen were the only ones she knew. Tammi told her where she was, on a hospital ship, and Doctor Allen had told her what happened to the Jedi. How the Republic betrayed them and now was hunting them down. Niri did not believe him at first, she couldn't. But why else would her clones have done what they did. Even then, she wondered how they could have done it.

"Hello there, Niri," Tammi said, "how are you doing today?"

"Hello, Tammi, I'm fine."

Tammi walked over while asking, "Any pain in your leg?"

"No."

"That's good, but if anything –"

"-changes I'll tell you." Niri finished.

Setting down a tray of what smelled like soup, Tammi moved the bed so Niri could sit up. "I know you're not big on talking in the mornings so I'll leave you to your breakfast."

"Thank you."

Niri let out a sigh when Tammi left, she already felt drained. Her leg didn't hurt but her hand ached and her eyes felt like hollow points in her head. During the first few weeks Tammi would stay to help her eat. But she was not a child, and she did not need help no matter how many times she tried to pick things up with fingers that are not there.

—

"Why are you helping me?" She asked as Doctor Allen rewrapped the bandages around her eyes.

He paused for a moment, then said, "It's my job."

—

The door opened and Niri expected a nurse to come in with lunch, but it was Tammi.

"I know this breaks schedule but I thought you could use some fresh air," she beamed, "and since it's my lunch break I thought I could take you to the garden."

"There's a garden on this ship?"

—

Pushing Niri's wheelchair down the hall she'd occasionally stop and, Niri was guessing, gesture wildly while describing what some of the other nurses and patients had gotten up to that morning.

"- ruining my only other pair of scrubs here, and they were my fav- oh! we're here!"

Tammi was always cheerful, which always brought Niri's mood up. _But,_ she supposed, _that's probably why she's always happy, to help others be happy._ Niri was grateful she got a happy nurse. The healers at the temple could be so cold.

" 's not really a garden, you should see what's on Naboo, but it has trees, flowers, and a bench so in my book it counts."

"I can't see, I'm blind."

"Ha-ha, finally some humor from you!"

Niri shrugged, "Something 26 would have said."

—

The florescent lights of the medical bay cast a harsh light, turning white into too white and highlighting the imperfections of everything in the room. CT-2654 lie unconscious on a cot in the back of the bay, dreaming of his lost jedi.


	2. Chapter 2

**2 Standard Years Ago**

Book watched from the doorway as Niri went through a series of kata. Her face pinched with concentration, her muscles tense. With each step he could see her becoming more relaxed, the stress falling away.

Steps flowed and body twisted as her blade twirled in the low light of the training room. She moved with a grace and sureness through each step, the fluidity of it calming to look at.

He hadn't come to just to watch her, he was hungry and the rest of their squad was being... themselves, and sometimes he just needed a break. As she finished the final movements she looked over and smiled at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Niri called as she wiped the sweat from her face.

Book shrugged, "I don't think any of us are sleeping."

"Not even 26?" She asked, walking toward him.

"Nope. He, Worry, and Hardass are playing cards."

She brushed passed him while sighing, "Worry'll take all their credits and we'll have to listen to 26 grumble about it the whole mission."

Book turned to follow her down the hall, she always went to the mess hall after a workout and would invite him along if he wasn't sleeping. It was becoming a tradition.

Niri stretched her arms above her head and yawned, "Do you want to get some food or are you going to join them?" She paused and then added, "And you never said what Wreck was doing."

Book chuckled, "She's the only one trying to sleep. I give it five more minutes before she kills them for some peace and quiet," he laughed.

"She needs to just kick them out when she wants to sleep," Niri said looking at him with a smile as she bumped their shoulders together.

 **Present Day**

"What's your name?"

"Book."

"I'm Cupcake."

"Do you think they're going to sell us into slavery?" Cupcake asked after a beat of silence.

Book sighed and let his head fall back against the wall. After waking up in a sick bay he didn't recognize, mildly panicked but too drugged for much, a blurry purple figure half dragged half carried him to this cell. Which he'd been stuck in for three days. Cupcake had shown up on the third, muttering "oh goodness" over and over again.

"Maybe they're going to sell us back to the Empire," Book mused, "I'm pretty sure there's a bounty out for missing clones."

Cupcake's eyes went wide at that. "I really need that to not happen," he said shakely, running his hand through his green hair and down his face, "The Empire kriffing sucks."

Book huffed out a laugh, "Don't I know it."

—

Everyday a young girl came to give him food, and everyday she'd flash her sharp teeth at him. It was starting to loose it's effect. Although maybe she was just trying to smile.

Although she seemed especially pleased when Cupcake startled at the sight of them, so the evidence pointed more towards scare tactic.

That night, after the teeth made their usual apperance, Cupcake curled up next to him to sleep. Book understood how he felt, sad and alone and missing his brothers, so he wrapped an arm around him and told him not to move too much or he was kicking him off the bunk.

—

The next morning the girl with the sharp teeth did not come, instead a pantoran woman dramatically swung the cell door open, who used actual doors when there was force shields anyway, and spread her arms wide. "I'm Captian Pell, and good news, I'm not trading you to the spice mines after all."

"Oh joy," Book said dryly. It's the Empire after all.

"There's a budding rebellion and they're willing to pay for clones, not as much as the spice mines or Empire mind you, but a decent amount."

Cupcake looked up at that, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. This rebellion would certainly be better than the other options.

"I don't often do charity work, but the Empire sucks ass and aren't good for business, so we get things the way they used to be and I'm free to - well, be free.

That made sense. The Empire had already put its anti crime acts in place and they were far more effective than before. Not good for business if your clients are too scared of being caught. Book was sure they'd adapt soon though, but he wasn't going to bring that up now.

She put her hands on her hips and walked backwards out of the cell. Seeing that they weren't following she motioned impatiently, "You don't have to stay in there anymore. But if you come out you will have to do some work around the ship."

"I'm okay with that," Cupcake said, jumping up to leave the cell.

" _This can't be too bad"_ , Book thought as he got up to join them.

—

As usual lately, he was wrong.

For the most part things had been going smoothly on _The Rainbow,_ the first day out he and Cupcake had been tasked with cleaning and helping make food. The latter was the easiest seeing as most of the food was ration packs.

Of course things couldn't stay that way.

The second day, while helping with laundry, he smacked his face into the washer as alarms started blarring.

The comms crackled and a voice called out, _"Tsk, tsk, tsk, betraying the Empire? Not your best move Captain. Hand over the clones and I'll make your deaths quick."_

Book hadn't know the Captain for long but he had a feeling she's not the type to take threats to her crew and ship well.

Luckly, he was right.

Sadly, he was right.

—

 **Do you still have to say you don't own things? I don't own Star Wars**


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Sorry for the late update, not gonna lie the next one won't come soon either. I still hope you enjoy this incredibly unbeta'd and unedited chapter.

The Rainbow held on as long as it could. Which was to say, not very long.

They were overtaken swiftly by the imperial ship, a blah blah. Alex marched down the halls, head held high, to the airlock place(?) intent on meeting them head-on.

Book trailed behind her with the majority of the crew. Teeth, Ali, wasn't there. He didn't know what she was doing and didn't really want to. It was probably something weird like sharpening her toe nails or plotting universal domination.

Gyda looked at him, "You should go hide with Cupcake, I put him under the floor in the dining room."

Book nodded but hid behind a crate when they turned back. They probably saw him but no one stopped him and if a fight broke out he could at least help. The door hissed open and a dark figure in a dark suit strode forward. There was a lightsaber at their hip.

A Jedi joined the Empire?

He'd heard rumors of course, of the Inquisitors. He'd hoped it wasn't true. The implications of their turning was not something he wanted to think about. He might not be as useful in this fight as he thought., not if she was a Sith.

Alex stood with a confident air, hand resting on her thigh holster. Smiling she greeted the woman, "To what do we own this pleasant visit, Mara."

Mara smiled back at her, "Don't bullshit me Captain, you know why I'm here."

"Ah yes, something about clones right? How's you're search for strays going?" she asked casually.

Mara's smile strained, "You've got a clone on board, you can't deny this, there are witnesses who saw you bring them aboard."

Pell's hand tightened on her holster as the Sith stepped closer, "Everyone is this room, no clones here," she said gesturing around.

The crate Book hid behind suddenly flung forward. He had a feeling that might happen. Niri could always tell where he was. If only it was as easy for him.

Pell and her crew had their blasters out and had formed a wall between him and Mara. Standing up Book whispered to Gyda, "How are you planning on getting out of this?"

Pell's first mate glanced back at him, "Just gonna follow my Captains lead," they replied with a smile(smirk).

—

The small amount of light that came through the floor wasn't enough to see more than an outline, so Cupcake was fully justified in screaming when it opened and no one spoke first. Especially since Teeth's head swung down and hit him in the face.

"Ugh there's hair in my mouth!" he sputtered.

Pulling her head back up she offered her hand with an apologetic smile. Cupcake grabbed her hand, "Is everything okay?"

Ali shook her head and started signing. He still only knew 'hello' and 'piss off' so this didn't make anything clearer.

"Um, sorry I don't understand."

Rolling her eyes clearly thinking _useless man,_ which he's been told she's said multiple times about him, she waved for him to follow her. Pulling a padd out of her overalls she quickly typed a message and handed it to him. _"Dear Dumbass, everyone's been taken by the Bitch, let's go kick some ass"_

"Has anyone ever told you you use rather explicit language."

Ignoring him she wrote _, "Help me move the table under the vent."_

Moving to push it he asked, "How will getting in the ventilation system help us? They're on the other ship right, why don't we just walk normally?"

She ignored him, duh Cupcake she can't hear, and climbed up on the table. Standing on her toes she unhooked the grate. She turned to him and pulled her padd out again, _"We don't know who's on the ship, there could be people searching it. We'll take the vents to the hallway outside the airlock and figure the rest out from there."_

Not the greatest plan he's ever heard, but not the worst either. Although taking the Rainbow back might be easier than sneaking aboard the Imperials. He handed the padd back.

"What if we sneak to a scanner and see if anyone's on board and then take them out?" he asked, climbing up next to her. "The other ship might not think anything is wrong and, hopefully, instead of blowing us up they plan on taking the ship with them."

Ali gave him a hard stare, then nodded. Cupcake bent down to give her a boost but she motioned for him to go first. "Teeth I can't go first, I don't know where we're going. Her lips pinched together, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to watch him, and climbed up.

Book hoisted himself into the vent then awkwardly shifted around and replaced the grate. _We can do this_ , he thought, _no problem at all._

Ps. Working on a prequel for Alex


End file.
